Citroen Specials Club - the club for all lightweight cyclecars

Hi all,

As part of the pre-season service schedule I decided it was time to strip down the steering arms ball joints. I had put off doing this for some time as the end screw caps had been tightened with a punch (by one of the previous owners), so wrecking the slots. Also the threads of the ball joint holder and steering arms in the U-clamps were seized solid. I had previously squirted penetrating fluid in the u-tube slot in an effort to release the threads.The final obstacle was the ball joint arm bolts in the wheel hub were semmi-rounded, so again requiring a lot of dressing to ensure they did not become completely rounded-off.

Noting all the above I had until now lubricated the ball joint with motorcycle chain lube spray grease - and the steering worked fine - free and no tight spots etc...

Anyhow after a lot of hassle I managed to remove the balljoint arm from the hub and unscrew the ball joint holders from the clamps. Once on the bench I was able to remove the holder screw caps (threads ok) and dismantle the balljoint. The upshot was the ball joint head was badly worn & scorred requiring replacement, but the bushes surprisingly unmarked and in pretty good shape - perhaps the previous chap simply replaced the bushes and hoped for the best?

So the 'so what' is look after your ball joints as the new ball arms are not cheap - ideally fitting either a screw cap with a grease nipple or fit one to the holder body and finally grease/copperslip your threads....

Although at times frustrating, I eventually had a very rewarding day knowing I'd overcome all the 'gumption traps' (remembering Zen & the art of motorcycle mechanic book) and now QFAD has tip-top steering!

The bearing cups seem to be made from a very hard material - as hard as the ball end. This wasn't always the case, early joints had bronze bearings. When I replace my steering arms, I had cups made in phosphor bronze and I fitted grease nipples to the housing.

It's pretty easy to make a special tool to remove the castellated nuts - grid an old flat spanner to fit.

If the clamps are knackered, it's worth replacing them with the stainless steel adjusters you can buy from various suppliers.

I must agree with Geoff, the new balls are generally softer than the cups!

I machined a whole bunch of Delrin cups a couple of years ago - which have stood the test of time. If there's sufficient interest, I'll knock up another batch...

Rgrds
Callum

I think Delrin would be perfect and far cheaper than phosphor bronze. The arms are too expensive to replace more than once - much better to replace the bearing cups. When you take them apart it is common to find the cups in perfect condition and the balls oval and heavily scored.

Hi Gents,

Geoff if you recall I bought a set of phosphor bronze cups from you and yes I have fitted a grease nipples to the housing - so future wear should be on the cups and not the arms. With the grease nipple hopefully any replacement should be a long way off.

Just one thought - I have used a cooperslip/graphite grease (known as Hammer Paste) as used on the concrete picker attachment for CAT/JCB units (from my days as a plant fitter) for my kingpins and this has proved very successful so far. Its function is to provide a resilient coating to sliding metal parts. I have considered using the same grease for my ball joints. I would not use such grease for wheel bearings etc, but for slow speed sliding/rotating parts I think it is ideal.

Mind you Callum's Delrin cups sound very interesting - This material is used a lot in high pressure water pumps I have worked on. I think it is a good choice for the ball joint - and as for lubrication I think i'm right in that it would not need any grease?

As for the original citroen u clamps - the steering rod ends are still seized solid (I have free'd off the ball joint housing ends and managed to clean-up the threads) so I will leave as is until next winter when I will replace both rods and then fit the new St/St barrel type connectors.

The HIF38 conversion is running, but needs a visit to a rolling road to finish-off. Luckily Slarks of Amesbury (Mini specialists familiar with the HIF38) are just a few miles away - so once the steering/mudguard c/w indicators refurb is finished that my next task.

All the best,

Steve